Of Parks And Sandboxes
by Katseester
Summary: In which Ichigo and Karin talk about girlfriends, boyfriends, sex /sort of/ and love /not really/, while Grimmjow plays in the sandbox with Yuzu.


**_Title: Of Parks And Sandboxes_**

_**Summary: In which Ichigo and Karin talk about girlfriends, boyfriends, sex (sort of) and love (not really), while Grimmjow plays in the sandbox with Yuzu.**_

**And thus I present another dedication to my dearest LaJauntez, again for no reason I can remember. After writing it, then typing it, then re-reading it about 10 times, I found that it had many, _many_ spelling errors. All of which I hope I corrected. My excuse is a French keyboard. Though not anymore.**

**Out of all the little grimmichi stories I wrote, I'd have to say I like this one the least, even though I wrote it first. I guess I was just warming up. But LaJauntez responded to them with a "holy shit you're awesome", so I'm content.**

**I was hesitant to post this only because I know that my sister will eventually find it and...well, I figure you can guess what happens from there. Ah well, LET IT BURN!**

**

* * *

**"Ichi-nii, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"What?" Ichigo looked down inquisitively at his sister on the bench next to him.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" Karin repeated her question, looking back up at him with the same expression. "Loads of guys in your class have one, so why don't you?"

Ichigo thought for a few minutes. Before his sister could punch him though, he responded. "I guess I'm not really interested in girls. I don't need a girlfriend."

"Hmm." Karin gave him a skeptical look.

"What? It's the truth."

They relaxed into a comfortable silence, enjoying the weather and looking around the park at the different people and their activities. Ichigo made sure to keep an eye on his other sister, who was playing in the sandbox with the most unusual companion.

"Ichi-nii?" Karin started.

"Hmm?" He replied absently.

"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked, pointing at Yuzu's sandbox partner. Had Ichigo been taking a sip out of the soda in his hands, it would be on his jeans by now.

"_What_?" he choked out, completely ripped from his lulled state, glancing at the sandbox before looking back to his sister.

Karin sighed, apparently tired of repeating herself. "I asked if he's your boyfriend," she said, again pointing to Yuzu's playmate.

"I--I--" Ichigo floundered, unable to think of a suitable answer. He glanced nervously back to the sandbox.

"Oh, come on, don't deny it. You were holding hands on the way here," she accused.

"So? Friends hold hands," Ichigo defended himself.

Karin looked at him flatly. "Everybody heard you two last night. I think eve Ol' Goatchin heard you, by the way he was grinning stupidly at breakfast." She watched as her brother's face became the shade of a tomato before continuing.

At that precise moment, just to seem nonchalant, Ichigo took a drink of his soda.

"And you're limping today."

And promptly spit it back out.

"_That's not something someone your age should know about_!" he hissed, spluttering.

"So you're not denying it?" Karin looked almost smug. Ichigo wanted to scream.

"No. Fine. Yes, he is my boyfriend," Ichigo sighed. "Is that all?"

"Mhmm."

They settled back into a silence, Karin radiating triumph, Ichigo fuming and glaring at the castle his sister had constructed out of sand. His eyes wandered left, and his glare intensified as it landed on that man, his _boyfriend_. He was currently crouched down, poking at a bug with a stick outside of the sandbox with little interest, and Ichigo noticed once again how nice his face really was without that jawbone attached to it, and thought offhandedly that he was glad Urahara had made the gigai without it, although, truthfully, he preferred the broken piece of bone, and fuck, there goes his mind again, thinking stupid thoughts that are better left somewhere else, perhaps in the gutter.

"Ichi-nii?" Karin pulled him to safety, but Ichigo knew he was about to be thrown in the pits of hell with her next question.

"What?"

"Why him?" And yupp, there's the gates, opening up to swallow him whole.

"What?"

"Ichi-nii!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Ichigo grumbled. "I just don't know what you mean."

Karin ran a hand down her face. "Why'd you choose him, Ichi-nii? Out of all the people in the world, why him? He's got a bad attitude, he smokes, he swears alot, he dyes his hair a funny colour, and he has a tattoo!"

"Yeah, I know," Ichigo mumbled. He looked back over to the sandbox, where the castle was destroyed and in it's place a seaweed ambassador was being built. He noticed that Yuzu had substituted the headband for her bandana. Once again, he looked left and started scrutinizing the man there. He looked at his forehead, wrinkled into a frown of concentration, his downcast eyes, focused on his poor victim (the bug), with the usual teal markings underneath (even Urahara's diplomatic argument hadn't been able to deter him from insisting they be present), the sharp nose that really served no purpose except to complete his god-like features, the slight downturn of his lips as the bug managed to evade every stab of the stick, down to the unbuttoned collar of the purple t-shirt, which showed a considerable amount of chest (not that Ichigo minded), and the white jacket that covered it, and back up to the mess of blue hair, that Ichigo knew from personal experience was not dyed.

"Ichi-nii!"

A sharp stabbing pain in his side got his attention, and he looked down with a dumb "huh?"

"You've been staring at him for long enough, you should have your answer by now." Karin glared up at him accusingly, poking him again.

"Ah, sorry," Ichigo replied, raising a hand to the back of his head and taking a sip of his soda for the hell of it. "I don't really know why him, to be honest," he said, smiling. "He's a bastard and all, but I've come to love that bastard, so what else do I need to explain?"

Karin made a face at him. "Oh, don't give me that look," Ichigo laughed. "One day you'll fall head over heels for a guy, and you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, right," Karin contradicted, but smiled nonetheless.

They both watched as Yuzu carefully carved a smile into the seaweed ambassador's face, as her companion finally managed to stab the bug, laughing loudly and maniacally.

"Karin?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know I don't like girls?" Ichigo asked, somewhere in his mind wondering if this was an appropriate question.

Karin shrugged. "I figured that if you didn't like Orihime-chan, there's no girl on this planet you _would_ like."

Ichigo wryly thought that even though his boyfriend wasn't a girl, he didn't in fact come from this planet. Or this dimension, to be precise. He finished his soda and threw it in the trash bin as Yuzu ran up from the sandbox, playmate in tow.

"You two are all done now?" Ichigo asked, biting back a laugh at the murderous glare his boyfriend shot him.

Yuzu nodded. "Me and Grimm-chan had lots of fun, right?" She looked up innocently to Grimmjow's scowling face.

"Right," he ground out.

Satisfied with his response, Yuzu moved on to Karin and immediately engaged her in her escapades of the sandbox.

Deeming it safe, Ichigo leaned forward and placed a kiss on Grimmjow's cheek, sliding their hands together. "Was it really that fun?" he asked, smirking.

"Hell no," Grimmjow replied. "But it was Goddamned funny to hear your sister's take on me." He let out a laugh. "I dye my hair a funny colour, huh? Wouldja like to explore the validity of that statement?"

"Already have," Ichigo replied calmly.

Grimmjow released another barking laugh, and they made their way towards Karin and Yuzu, who had somehow slid to the park entrance.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin yelled as they approached. "You're holding his hand again!"

Ichigo sighed and untangled their fingers, feeling slightly put out, but almost laughed when he felt Grimmjow's arm snake around his waist in retaliation.

No, he decided, as his sisters shrieked at the motion, they didn't understand yet, but when they fell in love like he had, they would.

* * *

**So there you have it. I'm not particularly happy with many spots, but eh. This is what happens when my mind is deprived of many things.**

**We'll all assume that Karin knew of Ichigo's orientation before the story happens, ok? Knowing her, she'd figure it out anyways...  
**


End file.
